ELIZABETH, Colo. — A federal judge has ordered the Elizabeth School District to return its 19 banned books to library shelves.
A preliminary injunction was issued for the books to be returned by next Tuesday and prohibits the district from further banning books that it objects to for political or religious reasons.
- Read the preliminary injunction by clicking here or by checking out the document below.
Former Elizabeth Schools educator Tiffany Roberts told Denver7 she believes this is a big win for families.
"This isn’t taking anything away from parents, but it’s giving a lot back to the kids," said Roberts.
Roberts said the judge's decision still gives parents the ability to have choice in what type of content their kids are checking out.
"People still have the right if they don’t want their kids to read something, parents can say that," she said.
The injunction comes after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Elizabeth School District back in December for removing the books from libraries.
The suit argued the book removals violated federal and state free speech protections.
Last August, the Elizabeth Board of Education created a sensitive topic book catalog, which contained 138 books, including "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl," "To Kill A Mockingbird," and the Bible.
In addition to that catalog, the board identified 19 books it found to be “highly sensitive” that should be removed from the district’s school libraries.
"This decision confirms that that's unconstitutional, it's un-American, it's not helpful for kids," said ACLU's Legal Director Tim Macdonald, in response to this week's preliminary injunction.
In a statement, Superintendent Dan Snowberger said the Elizabeth School District is reviewing the judge's decision, adding the district "stands by the Board's decision to remove sexually explicit and age-inappropriate content from our school libraries.”
As for Roberts, she hopes this sends a clear message to other schools in Colorado and across the country.
"Education is so important and books are a huge part of that," she said.
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